Revolving Door Newsletter: 10.11.13

Magic Johnson Leaves ESPN; Bill Weir Joins CNN

Magic Johnsonleaves ESPN's NBA Countdown, a move that surprised almost everyone. The star's official reason: "Due to the nature of my schedule and other commitments, I don't feel confident that I can continue to devote the time needed to thrive in my role," he said. But Deadspin hears it had more to do with a power struggle between Johnson and Bill Simmons. The Grantland founder took to Twitter to deny the "rift" between the pair. Who knows if the truth will ever come out -- and it really doesn't matter -- but there's a little bit of palace intrigue at the Worldwide Leader...

Jessica Yellin is leaving CNN. In August, the former ABC News and MSNBC star moved from the White House beat to cover domestic affairs, but doesn't seem happy with the new position. She's been with CNN for six years. Elsewhere at the network, Bill Weirjumps aboard to develop a program for primetime and work on several other projects. He had been with ABC News for almost a decade, most recently as the anchor of Nightline... Taking Weir's place on the program is Dan Harris, who will continue co-anchoring the weekend edition of Good Morning America... Dr. Ben Carsonjoins Fox News as a contributor. The neurosurgeon made his first formal appearance on The Kelly File earlier this week...

It looks like Vivian Schiller will take over as Twitter's head of news. The current SVP and chief digital officer at NBC News will take "a significant period of time off" before starting her newest gig. AllThingsD has been all over the story from the beginning... The Blaze snagsDana Loesch as a host and contributor... AOL lays off the video and tech team at Cambio, the millennial-focused entertainment site it launched with the Jonas Brothers in 2010. Executive editor Linda Friedman, her editorial assistant and a few freelance writers are the only staffers remaining... And there are changes at Edelman Digital, AARP The Magazine and more...